Kitchen press



April 1, 1952 v. H. SPRINGFORD 2,591,311

KITCHEN PRESS Filed May 22, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 April 1, 1952 V. H.SPRINGFORD KITCHEN PRESS 2 SHEETS-.-SHEET 2 Filed May 22, 1948 IN V ENTOR.

66m w arro/m m Patented Apr. 1, 1952 UNITED KITCHEN PRESS Vernon H.Springford, Evansville, Ind., assignor of one-third to Sherman B.Daugherty, Evansville, Ind.

Application May 22, 1948, Serial No. 28,643

My invention relates to a kitchen press and more particularly to such adevice for expressing juice from whole fruit.

It would seem a simple matter to merely place a whole fruit in a pressand exert pressure to compress the fruit, to force out its juice. But inthe case of skin jacketed fruits, such as the citrus fruits, thepressure required is too great and oil expressed from the skin makes thejuice bitter. The skin has to be ruptured to obtain the juice fromwithin, and the usual spherical shape of the skin or jacket, plus itsresiliency, plus the internal support of the pulp cells provides greatresistance to rupture by a press operation alone. It is for this reasonthe usual juice extractor requires a separate preliminary cuttingoperation. Devices incorporating the cutting or skin rupturing operationin the press have been unsatisfactory in that they require locking andunlocking of a cover, or require positioning of the fruit in the press,as by impaling on a spike or piercing projection; do not afford drainagefor the juice; require a large operating force or a long press travel;or excessively crush the jacket which contributes a bitter taste to thejuice.

If a press is arranged to completely sever a fruit before starting thepressing action, a long travel. is required-about twice the diameter ofthe fruit. It is therefore preferable to start the cutting action andcontinue it as the pressing action occurs. I have found that for successwith this combination action there must be created an outward spreadingof the skin or jacket at the cut. The skin must not block drainage ofjuice from the press. Oil should not be expressed from the skin. Anyfruit from a small lime to a large grapefruit is simply dropped in mypress and the handle easily operated while the juice drains freely, anda cover or lid closes the press automatically. The objective is attainedby a novel structure involving a new formation and relationship ofparts, as described below in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section in closed position of a kitchen pressembodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section in open position of the press and normal to theplane of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the press in closed position;

Fig. 4 is a section like Fig. 1 but in open position of the press withparts in exploded view; and

Fig. 5 is top plan view of the press bed partly cut away to show thedrain trough.

A casing I0 provides the body of the press and is in the form of agenerally square tube standing on end. Two ledges II and I2 are formedby securing two bars on opposite interior walls 1 Claim. (01. 100-42)near the upper end of the casing I 0. The ledges II and I2 support agenerally V-shape drain trough I3 having a drain spout I4. A bed plateI5 is V-shaped and also is supported by the ledges I I and I2. In thebottom of the press bed I5 there is a series of drain slots I6.

It is important that the lower edges, at least, of the press bed I5 arespaced from the plates I! and I8 that form the closed ends of the draintrough I3. Should the slots I6 become stopped by the fruit skin in thepress operation, the expressed juice drains laterally over the ends ofthe press bed into the trough.

A cutting blade I9 is located in the bottom of the bed plate I5. Theblade stands upright in the apex of the V-shape bed and is the samelength as the bed. The cutting edge is upward and is V-shape. The bladeI9 is suitably secured in place as by fasteners 20.

The cutting blade I9 bisects the angle of the V- shape press bed I5, sothe edges of the V-blade converge downward in a plane perpendicular tothe median sectional plane of the V-shape bed plate. The downwardconvergent walls of 'the bed plate I5 and the edges of the blade I9 forma pocket into which descends any fruit tossed into the press. The apexof the blade I9 is near the apex of the press bed I5, so the fruit ofany size locates itself centrally in the press and on the knife.

A press head 2I is V-shape and movably suspended above the bed I5 by tworack toothed bars 22 and 23. The head comprises a central body portion24 to which are secured two wing plates 25 and 26.

A cover or lid 21 is secured on top of the press head 2|. When the presshead 2I is raised, the lid 21 is also raised, as seen in Figs. 2 and 4.When the press head 2| is lowered to a point adjacent the press bed I5,the lid 2'! encompasses the upper part of the casing I0, providing acover which closes the top of the press. The closed position of thepress is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. The upper part of the casing I0has a reduced section 28 at its upper edge to receive the lid'2'I andaiford a smooth exterior when the press is closed.

A shaft 29 on which are secured two pinions 30 and 3I is journaled inopposite side Walls of the casing ID by bearing plates 32 and 33. Oneend of the shaft 29 projects through the hearing plate 33 and isprovided with a suitable handle 34. The pinions 30 and 3I respectivelyengage the rack toothed bars 22 and 23 which are located in verticalguides 35 and 36. As seen in Figs. 2 and 5, the spaces at the ends ofthe press occupied by the rack bars are finished at the top by ledges 31and 38 which have center openings through which the rack bars 22 and 23project.

and the =V-shape press bed 15. rests upon the cutting edge of the bladel9.- Re- As seen in Fig. 3, the casing 10 may be pro vided with a sideopening through which any suitable receptacle can be inserted below thedrain spout 14. The--latter could f course be lengthened and projectedoutside of the casing 10.;

When the press is closed it presents an.ex-.

ternal appearance about as shown in Fig. "3.

The cap 21 is closed on :the upperendof the casing I6 giving a neat, l1smooth'appearance. Turning the handle 34 raises the cap 21 and the presshead 21 by the rack and pinion mechanism. A Whole fruit such as, forinstance, an orange is tossed into the press where it locates "itself inthe pocket formed by the V-shape blade 19 The orange versing theoperation of the handle 34, the press :head 21 and cover 27 descend.Thepress head Zlengages the orange and ,forces it downward on the bladel9 causing the skin to be cut by the blade. The cutting edges of theblade 19 are at'an angle to the. direction of thrust on the orange sothat the cutting operation is performed with minimum effort.Simultaneously with the cutting operation, orsoon after the beginning ofthe outtingoperation, depending upon the size of the fruit, the halvesof the orange are pressed between the bed [5 and the head 21 causing theskin to gap at the cut and the pulp Within to be compressed so'that thejuice is extracted The juice flows through the slots 16 and also overthe ends of the bed plate into the trough I3 and thence through thedrain spout 14 into a receptacle located beneath it. The press head 21is slotted to receive the blade 19 as the press is -closed.- When thepress is open the head 2| is freely accessible for cleaning, and the bedplate 15 andtrough 13 can be lifted out for cleaning as indicatedin'Fig. 4.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the scope ofthis'inven'tion which is set forth in the following claim:

"I' claim:

In a kitchen press, a receptacle open at the top and having a drainopening, a press bed substantially in the form of a V-shape trough andlocated in said receptacle, a cutting blade with-a substantially V-shapecutting edge within the press bedand-in a plane bisecting the anglethereof, the apex-of the cutting edge being near the apex ofthe pressbed, and a substantially V-shape press head movable into and out of thepress-bed and slotted to straddle the blade, the ends of said troughbeing open and spaced from the side wallsofsaid-receptacle to permitlateral flow of liquid over the press bed "into'the receptacle.

VERNON SP-RINGFORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of 'recordin the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

